The Mission
by BlackFrosted
Summary: Bucky Barnes, now rehabilitated and working with SHIELD to take down Hydra, goes on a mission that's anything but what he's used to.


It was a standard mission. Go in, destroy the mainframe, and take out any Hydra agents that stood in his way. It was one Bucky had done at least a hundred times before by the this point, and he didn't expect this time to be all that different. Of course, he knew to expect the unexpected with Hydra, but what was about to happen, was beyond unexpected, and downright terrifying.

Bucky had gone into the next room while SHIELD Agent Skye hacked into the computer, his goal being to keep her covered long enough to finish hacking into the system and look for whatever files she was looking for. (Apparently, this file wasn't on the internet.) However, when Bucky walked into the room, he froze, his blood nearly running cold. In the room was a large glass box, and inside the box was man, presumably one of Hydra's assests. The man was just sitting on the floor, playing with what looked like a dead mouse. When Bucky walked in, his metal arm shining under the light, the man looked up, a terrifying grin spreading across his face.

"Oooh. The Winter Soldier. They told me you left the..organization."

Bucky was silent, his eyes narrowing at the man.

"Not much of a talker, eh? Maybe you're more of the listening type?"

Again, silence.

"You're working with /them/ now, am I right? SHIELD? The /traitors/?"

"..SHIELD aren't traitors. People like you are. Now shut up."

"Ooh so you /are/ working for SHIELD! Is that how they found this place? Is that how they're finding all of these places? You? You're ratting Hydra out?"

Bucky was glaring at this point, but other than that, he was calm.

"Tell me, Mr. Winter Soldier, what happens when your little SHIELD friends finish destroying all the Hydra bases? Hm? What happens to you then?"

Bucky was silent still, but his glare faltered mometarily. He'd always wondered what would happen if SHIELD finished taking out the Hydra bases he was showing them, but he'd tried not to let it bother him... His momentary falter, unfortunately, gave the man /exactly/ what he needed.

"Ohh. So that's how it is, hm? They're using you to get information. Very smart on their part.. Very smart. Use the ex-Hydra agent to destroy Hydra."

"I told you to shut the h-l up.."

"When they're done, though, that's when you're in trouble. They won't need you anymore then."

"/Shut/. Up/." Bucky's hands clenched into fists, his breathing starting to pick up.

"Once they're finished with Hydra, they won't need you anymore, you see. Then what? Hm? Then they kick ya out. They kick ya right out on the street because they don't need you anymore."

Bucky let out a lowl growl, earning a chuckle from the man in the box.

"You're temporary, ya see? You're just a tempory asset that people only use when they're truly desperate. SHIELD? They're desperate right now. But soon? Soon they won't be so desperate, and then they may just lock you up. After all, you /are/ prone to...murder."

What happened next was a blur to Bucky. One minute he was standing outside a glass box, wishing he could strangle the man inside it. The next minute, he was in the glass box with the man pressed against the wall, and his metal hand closing around the man's throat. Whoever he was, he was about to be-

"BUCKY!" Skye's voice rang out across the room, but The Soldier still didn't drop the man he was holding. "Sergeant Barnes, drop him and step away. Right now."

There was a distinct sound of a gun being cocked, but his metal hand tightened again, the man wheezing and chocking in Bucky's grip.

"Sergeant! I'm not going to tell you again! Drop him, or I shoot. I'm serious. Let him go.."

..the man dropped to the floor, and Bucky stepped back, watching as the man gasped for breath, only to start laughing once he had it. Bucky's eyes narrowed, but Skye was at his side before he could attack again, shooting the laughing man with a tranquilizing dart, before looking up at Bucky.

"What the h-l was that?!"

"...I... He wouldn't shut up. I'm sorry.. It won't happen again.." Bucky mumbled the last part as he walked away, but Skye heard. Much to everyone's relief, nothing like that ever happened again, but Bucky was more closed off around everyone than he had before. People asked, but he neved said a word. He never brought up how the man, a telepath he later learned, had been able to dig down into his subconscious and pull out his biggest fear:

The fear of being used again.


End file.
